Architectural antiques
Antique and Salvaged Lighting
Salvaged lighting is some of the most appealing architectural antique material and some of the most misunderstood, because a fixture that looks charming can hide wiring that is a century past safe. The right approach is to buy for the metalwork and glass and treat the electrical side as work for a professional.
Gas, electric, and the fixtures in between
Early fixtures tell the story of how houses were lit. Gasoliers were built for gas, early electroliers for electricity, and combination fixtures carried both during the years a house might have either. You can often read which is which from the arms and keys: gas fixtures have valve keys and the arms carried gas, while electric arms carried wire. A combination fixture is a genuine period object and worth recognizing rather than modernizing away.
This page is part of the architectural antiques guide, which covers the rest of the salvaged house, from doors to stair parts.
Rewiring belongs to an electrician
This is the part to take seriously. Old fixture wiring, old sockets, and old insulation are not safe to energize as found, and a fixture pulled from a wall may also involve the building's own wiring. Rewiring an antique fixture and connecting it to a modern circuit is work for a licensed electrician, who can install listed sockets and wiring and make the connection to code. This guide does not give wiring instructions, on purpose, because getting it wrong is a fire and shock risk.
What you can safely judge as a buyer is the hardware. Look at the body for cracks and heavy corrosion, check that the arms are sound where they meet the body, and see whether the original shade holders and canopy are present. A complete, sound fixture that needs professional rewiring is a good buy; a corroded, incomplete one usually is not.
Shades, sockets, and completeness
Glass shades are frequently replaced, so a matched set of period shades adds real value and a mismatched set signals later substitution. Check shade fitter sizes, the standardized diameters that decide whether a shade seats in its holder, since a beautiful shade that does not fit the fixture is a separate purchase. Sockets and switches will typically be replaced with modern listed parts during rewiring, so judge them for completeness rather than function.
Because lighting sits at the boundary of decoration and building systems, it is a natural bridge from architectural antiques toward the way a whole house is furnished and cleared. That is the path this guide follows next, into antique furniture.
Common questions
Can I just plug in an antique light fixture?
No. Old wiring, sockets, and insulation are not safe to energize as found. Have an antique fixture rewired with listed parts by a licensed electrician before it is connected. Buy for the metalwork and glass, and treat the electrical side as professional work.